Monthly Archives: October 2011

[TRANS] The taxi driver asked me “Why did the three leave?” so I explained the details and the current circumstances. He said “That’s so maddening… That must be why people want to root for them even more. They must be really good because even though they don’t appear on TV in Japan so many people from distant places came” Thank you Mr Driver… (T_T)

[TRANS] When I was eating at a ramen stand at the Ibaraki venue the guy at the yakisoba (Japanese stir-fried noodles) stand next door was working busily with a big smile saying “I’m so thankful to JYJ”! So glad ♥

The JYJ concert “2011 JYJ UNFORGETTABLE LIVE CONCERT IN JAPAN” will be held this weekend at the National Hitachi-kaihin Park in Hitashinaka, Ibaraki. But behind the scenes the activities of Junsu, Jaejoong, and Yoochun, the three who left Tohoshinki, were met with more trouble.

As a result of the break up and contract troubles, Changmin and Yunho have activities. Their management company Avex formerly managed the three members of JYJ and the three had concerts. However Avex unilaterally announced the suspension of the activities of JYJ in Japan citing JYJ’s Korean management company’s ties to the mafia. JYJ protested this decision claiming that Avex knew about this when signing the contract. (T/N: This article misreports in that C-JeS never had mafia ties but its CEO, Mr. Baek, did have a prison record of which Avex was well aware from the very beginning.) The three resumed activities with the support of another company. However the two companies are still in dispute over the contract.

“Apathetic” is hardly the first word that most people would use to describe the general K-pop fan base. “Crazed” might be a more popular choice, or perhaps “devoted” to put a positive spin on it. After all, K-pop fans are the ones that organize fan clubs and charge membership fees. They’re the ones setting up flash mobs to guilt trip their favorite companies into paying a visit to their countries, and sending creepy couple fan art by the boxful to their idols. But still, they are apathetic.

What makes the average K-pop fan so apathetic, then? Something rather simple: they never demand better, or more, of the companies and the idols affiliated. I don’t mean that they don’t bother demanding quantity and the companies don’t respond. Heaven knows those idols promote anywhere and everywhere and there’s mini albums and repackages galore. The thing is, they never demand better. The companies release the same terrible electro-pop songs over and over and the fans lap it up for the sake of their oppas and their noonas. Nobody starts a flash mob in the name of real vocal gymnastics, or protests for the sake of good lyrics, or asks for, heaven forbid, something new. Nobody really looks in earnest for anything above a superficial level.